House Of The Dragon Episode 5 Confirms One Of The Book's Biggest Rumors
Rumors and secrets are the bread and butter in the politics of "House of the Dragon" and its predecessor show of "Game of Thrones." What one party may know may help them navigate the chaotic ladder of Westeros, and this is probably best highlighted in "Game of Thrones" when Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) first takes the position of Hand of the King. Tyrion, ever resourceful, wants to know who he can trust on the Small Council, so he gives Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Varys (Conleth Hill), and Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) different secret information, and whoever leaks said information will be exposed by the details inherent to their own individualized rumor.
"House of the Dragon" is no different, and after a few episodes, several secrets have already been borne that will shape the future of the Seven Kingdoms. In just the previous episode alone, viewers see many events that constitute a secret worth keeping because of their capacity to upset power dynamics in King's Landing, which is kind of surprising because they are just decisions made by the young Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) over the course of one night. Needless to say, noble-born people in Westeros must be exceptionally careful in their dealings and must obfuscate their true intentions most of the time. On account of this, certain lifestyles are confined to the shadows of Westeros, and although the book "Fire and Blood," on which "House of the Dragon" is based, may have eluded some open secrets, the show has no qualms about confirming them.
Although never confirmed in Fire and Blood, House of the Dragon directly states that Laenor is gay
The book "Fire and Blood" acts as a recounting of history, and since it has been adapted for television, some of the more implied features of the stories contained within are more directly expressed. One, in particular, has finally been confirmed in the latest episode of "House of the Dragon," which is that Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) is gay. Of course, this isn't an accepted sexual orientation in Westeros, and it makes sense why it was never directly stated in the books. If it were, in fact, confirmed knowledge, Laenor would have been brought up on some kind of charges or had his abilities questioned. Just think of what happened to poor Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) in "Game of Thrones" or how everybody questioned Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony).
Laenor's beloved is Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), and it seems as if the two are content simply existing and not really wanting to rule, though this is probably to keep the spotlight away from them. Although this latest episode is primarily about the arranged marriage between Laenor and Rhaenyra, both already have lovers, and Rhaenyra moves quickly to establish that they can still live as they choose to.
Rhaenyra tries to work out a deal with Laenor to disastrous results
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Theo Nate spoke about the beach scene and what was going through Laenor's head at the time by saying, "That walk along the beach, it's a cautious one for him because he doesn't really know what she wants from him. She's there trying to win him over and letting him know she's not a monster. She's not there to ruin his life. So, I think by the end of that, and then once he talks to Joffrey about it to see what he feels, Laenor comes to the conclusion that maybe it won't be that bad."
He added that Laenor's primary motivation is Joffrey, and their love is immensely important. Again, this was never directly stated in "Fire and Blood," but it looks like the showrunners have chosen to thread this particular story. Unfortunately, events don't exactly play out as either Laenor or Rhaenyra would have hoped. Although Laenor initially seems comfortable with this new paradigm, Rhaenyra's midnight trysts come to light to young Queen Alicent (Emily Carey), adding an extra hostility to the proceeding wedding ceremonies.
In the book and show, Laenor is devastated by his lover's death
During this wedding preamble, Joffrey makes the tragic choice of exposing his relationship with Laenor to Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel), and Joffrey tells Cole that he also knows of his interactions with Rhaenyra. Taking this as a threat, Cole beats Joffrey to death, which absolutely devastates Laenor. According to the Wiki of Ice and Fire, Joffrey is known as the Knight of Kisses. He suffers a mortal wound from Cole in "Fire and Blood" during a tournament meant to celebrate the marriage between Rhaenyra and Laenor when Cole strikes him with a morningstar. He dies several days later, though Laenor never leaves his side and weeps at his death. This somewhat echoes the scene in the show, with Laenor completely heartbroken.
Theo Nate said of Joffrey's untimely demise to ET, "It's the ring that he sees first. And once he sees that, it's like, 'No, it can't possibly be.' It was something we spoke about with [director] Clare Kilner, who is amazing by the way. So, that was something we spoke about in rehearsals that we really wanted to get that bit right. If he didn't have that reaction, I don't think his journey would mean as much because he wouldn't be as heartbroken as he's supposed to be." How this will affect the story going forward is sure to have long-reaching impacts, and it certainly affects the burgeoning transactional relationship between Laenor and Rhaenyra. What the common folk will say is probably yet another growing issue in "House of the Dragon."